take me higher
by whizz
Summary: it's like that kind of blur of smudged colors before your eyes when you fall, and just keep falling, and falling -- Ikki/Kazu


**anime/manga; **Air Gear  
**pairing; **Ikki/Kazu  
**warnings; **shonen-ai, mentions of yaoi, curses  
**disclaimer; **I do not own Air Gear or any of the characters used.

**i  
**

**S**omehow it all becomes a blur; the unnecessary blasting of some popular remix of a random song barfing its steady bass out through Yayoi's speakers (needless to say, they are plugged in to her computer), the drinks being mixed by some of the giggling, pink-painted nails kind of girls (quite obviously - every beverage is either pink or yellow or red, strawberries balancing on the edge of the glass).

The bodies grinding against one another in Yayoi's small living room, the scent of sickly sweet perfumes mixed with sweat mixed with the unmistakable smell of _excitement _and _adrenaline _shaking the floor in time with the beat, the chips and candy flying through the air, the laughter and screaming of hoarse voices, the couples sprawled on the pillow-covered leather couch, and the frilly mat, and on the toilet, and in Yayoi's mom's closet, and-

(can somebody _please _tell Kazu what he's doing here?)

-in the middle of this obscure, surreal heap of hearts pumping and spit being exchanged and alcohol being gulped down, Kazu finds himself in the arms of his very drunk, very _straight _best friend, their lips meeting in an undoubtedly heated kiss.

He gets the feeling the hangover he'll experience in the morning will be a thousand times worse than every single one he has had in his short life up 'til now; but he figures that he might as well drain this opportunity of mind-blowing fantasy material for as long as he can.

**ii**

**K**azu wakes up feeling kind of like he expected to only a hundred times worse and he doesn't even want to begin thinking about all of the photos being snapped last night (and the possibility of them being up on Facebook already) or the comments and the squeals that actually managed to drown the music out, or the rumors he just _knows _has reached even his distantly related cousin from America by now, or even _worse_-

(and that's the really sad thing-)

-what Ikki's thoughts are about this whole situation.

The head-shattering ache behind his forehead, though, soon gets him to reconsider his choice of thoughts and he lets a weak whimper out, turning to the side in hopes of finding a more comfortable position that doesn't involve the insides of his head being ripped out, stretched apart and then torn to pieces, only to find-

(soft, warm, unmistakably human-)

_-skin _beneath the arm he has casually slung out (and also, might he add, the feel of black unruly hair poking at his cheeks).

Kazu considers screaming at the top of his lungs but figures that it will probably do him more harm than good; he'd probably pass out from the high volume.

And, with perfect timing as always, Ikki's eyes crack open slowly, his movements sluggish and quite unfocused until his gaze settles on Kazu's (not-so-subtle) horrified expression, pale blue orbs wide open and staring as if trying to grasp the ruthless reality.

Ikki just sighs, rolling his still sleep-hazed eyes before nudging the blonde boy lightly with a hand he barely has the energy to lift, anyway.

"Don't think too much. We'll talk later. Just gimme' an hour or two.."

With that, the raven-haired teen falls asleep yet again with quite a satisfied groan, this time with his arm drawn around Kazu's middle and a regular breathing pattern escaping his lips, lulling the other boy to sleep.

Kazu normally wouldn't fall for it, but Ikki's warm breath and even warmer skin makes his belly curl in a foreign manner, and it's actually enough to soothe his worries and allow him to put his doubts away - at least for an hour or two.

**iii**

Their friends sure have a lot to say about it - some of them (read as: Yayoi, Emili and all of their bubbly shopaholic BFF's) are thrilled about the whole idea, babbling about romance and friends with benefits and BL novels in their high-pitched voices.

Others are downright disgusted with it - the guys from school yell obscenities, ruin lockers and draw very lewd images on desks along with repulsive threats, and that's just to name some of it.

The thing is, though, this only seems to happen to Kazu. It's as if no one _dares _to upset Ikki but they seem pretty damn content taking it out on the blonde boy.

Kazu keeps his lips pressed into a thin line when the black-haired teen asks him about it, and he mumbles excuses when Ikki finds the disturbing purple shade appearing in the form of bruises all over his body, because he doesn't want to be a burden (already making Ikki worry about him over needless things when he is fully capable of taking care of himself).

It goes too far one day though, and Ikki finds the jet in an alley somewhere behind the school, five big guys from the same grade hovering over him, raining kicks over the already motionless body.

A few days later Kazu shows up for practise with a grin that makes him look like himself again, and of course Ikki grabs his wrist so that they can sneak away inbetween drinking pauses to steal kisses from one another, the blonde not really minding losing his breath to the slightly taller boy, especially not when Ikki lifts him by the underside of his knees and pushes his body against the nearest wall, _hard, _trailing his tongue down the other's throat.

The five guys, whatever the hell their names were, are expected to come out of the hospital in a week or so.

**iv**

Nothing is ever easy, Ikki knows, because he's heard the saying one too many times; but he really, truly believes that their relationship would be a hell lot of easier if only Kazu wasn't so damn _stubborn. _

You have to fight for what you believe is worth it, Kazu knows, because every chick flick is loaded with those kinds of messages; but he really, truly believes that their relationship wouldn't have to dive into a battle each time the opportunity comes around if Ikki wasn't so damn _brainless._

At the end of the day, though, they can't help but seek the other one out if only for a quick moment despite the scowling of their sisters and the nagging feeling of always having to hide if anyone they know and/or are enemies with happen to catch sight of them.

As Kazu opens his mouth, welcoming the invading warmth of Ikki's mouth and the addictive saltiness in his tangy smell, he can't help but think that without _this - _the drama, the difficulties, the passion, the-

(exhale, inhale, open your mouth just to close it again before the contagious feeling just dying to get out finally escapes-)

-_love, _yes, without any of that; it wouldn't be _them, _and it most certainly wouldn't be real, so maybe Kazu can deal with the looks and the sighs and a black eye from time to time-

(well, considering _he'd _beat the crap out of ninety percent of those cocky bastards)

_-_as long as Ikki will be there to hold him in arms strong enough to carry them both, be it in the school's broom closet or on the roof of some high building, or even when they are soaring through the air, high on the rush of blood when their A.T's hit the ground or on the rapidly spreading of _something else _in their veins, Kazu thinks he'll be just fine.

**v**

A/N; been a while since i got around to actually writing something air gear-ish. it feels.. kind of nice, i suppose. a little unusual though. hope i'm not getting rusty in interpreting the ikki/kazu pairing, since i truly adore them!


End file.
